The present invention relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus, in which, for example, a paper sheet is handled.
Conventionally, paper-money handling apparatuses used in, for example, monetary facilities, etc. are not only mounted in plural in bank branches or the like but also mounted singly in stores such as supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. in some cases. In case of being singly mounted in this manner, when an obstacle such as jam of paper money in conveyance occurs, a maintenance personnel is required to go to a location, in which a paper-money handling apparatus is mounted, to remove jammed paper money. Therefore, when a paper-money handling apparatus is stopped due to an obstacle such as jam in conveyance, etc., it takes long time until the paper-money handling apparatus is again operated. In this manner, when a single paper-money handling apparatus present in a store stops for a long time, there is caused a problem that users and monetary facilities are annoyed much.
On the other hand, in order to solve such problem, a paper-money dispenser is proposed, in which when jam of paper money occurs, the jammed paper money is moved from a jam position by repeatedly rotating a conveyance path motor predetermined times in forward and backward directions at a slower speed than a normal conveyance speed (JP-A-6-219596). With the paper-money dispenser, jammed paper money is removed by storing the jammed paper money in a reject cashbox and resumption of a paper-money handling apparatus is performed without intervention of a maintenance personnel.
Also, in order to automatically check presence or absence of an accumulated article on a conveyance path and clean the conveyance path, an automatic resumption method for an automatic transaction facility management system is proposed, in which a medium such as sheet for checking the conveyance path is caused to flow on the conveyance path to remove an accumulated article and to check the conveyance path (JP-A-11-7568). The automatic resumption method for an automatic transaction facility management system is said to enable automatic resumption of a paper-money handling apparatus without intervention of a maintenance personnel.
With the method and the apparatus described above, however, it is necessary to once store jammed paper money in a temporary storage unit and to then convey the jammed paper money to a separate storage box such as a reject box. Therefore, in the case where paper money is folded and jammed in a state, in which it cannot be discharged again, the jammed paper money cannot be stored in the reject box and automatic resumption cannot be made in some cases.
Also, in order to confirm presence or absence of remains on a conveyance path, there is a need for a large space in an apparatus for the provision of an exclusive mechanism for discharge/storage of a conveyance path check sheet.
Also, with an apparatus for confirmation of presence or absence of remains on a conveyance path with the use of a conveyance path check sheet, it is possible that in one-way conveyance, the conveyance path check sheet collides against remains on the conveyance path to cause jam whereby the conveyance path check sheet itself cannot be removed, thus making automatic resumption impossible.